Recent studies have suggested that heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) may detect ongoing myocardial damage involved in the progression of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). This study was prospectively designed to examine whether the combination of H-FABP, a marker for ongoing myocardial damage, and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), a marker for myocardial ischemia, would effectively diagnose patients with ACS. H-FABP values above 1.5 microg/l can be correctly measured via an ELISA and 6 microg/l is the currently used cut-off value (1-3). We measured serum H-FABP and IMA of 108 patients on admission within 12 hr after onset of chest pain and normal troponin T. serum samples from ACS group (n=82) had decreased capacity of ACB [64 (61-67) U/ml] compared with non-ACS ischemic chest pain group (n=26) samples [75 (71-78) U/ml] (P<0.05). The combination of IMA and H-FABP usually had better sensitivity [96.3% (92.2-100%)] (P<0.05) and accuracy [92.6 (87.7-97.5%)] (P<0.05) than when individually used. Thus, the combination of H-FABP and IMA measurements after initiation of chest pain may be highly effective for risk stratification in patients with ACS and normal cardiac troponin T.